Our Verdict: Start Here

Maureen: What a book. Truly. When we were discussing what book to do in February, I suggested this one, since I had heard so many good things about it, and Kirstin quickly agreed because she had seen it on many “Best of 2023” lists. My only hesitation was I thought it might be a bit elementary, given that we’re both good cooks. After all, it says on the cover, “Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook.”



But it turns out that we can all use instructions on how to become a better cook.



My absolute favourite thing about this book was the number of photos it had to show you had to do particularly tricky things. This was incredibly handy when it came to making rough-puff pastry, but also many other recipes. Not all recipes had a photo essay to show you what to do, but when they were there, I used them.



I’m sad this month is over because there’s still so many things I want to make out of this book. It’s always a sign of a good book when you haven’t had time to post everything made, and that’s definitely true this time around. Trust me when I say we ate very, very well. Kirstin: This is a GREAT book. It’s full of so many fantastic recipes and little tips to improve your cooking skills. And that roast chicken recipe is going on heavy rotation. But where it truly excels is the second half of the book. More than fifty percent of the entire book is devoted to pastry cooking, bread making, baking and desserts — which is really good if you’re into that sort of cooking, and I mean REALLY good, especially with all the photos. I’m already looking forward to cooking some recipes that I think would work better in the summer months, and that says it all because the real beauty of this cookbook is that it’s an all-rounder of a book, one that is totally dependable throughout the year but can also stretch cooks of all levels with their adventures in the kitchen.